State Department of Commerce looking to work with counties that help refugees

The Washington State Department of Commerce released a Request for Applications to solicit proposals from counties qualified and interested in helping stabilize newly arriving refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Commerce will award $4.3 million each year in the next two fiscal years to multiple counties. Applications in excess of $2 million each fiscal year will be rejected. Responses are due by October 6 and details including application requirements and a link to the September 20, 9 a.m. bidders call.

Minimum qualifications include:

• Applicant must be a county within the state of Washington. Counties can choose to sub-grant to nonprofits, tribes, or other organizations in the community, such as resettlement agencies or others with expertise in serving Ukraine-Russia conflict refugees.
• The county submitting the application must be licensed to do business in Washington state or submit a statement of commitment that it will become licensed in Washington within thirty calendar days of being selected as the Apparently Successful Applicant.
• The county submitting the application must be receiving newly arriving refugees from the 2021 Afghanistan conflict and the 2022 Ukraine-Russia conflict, and have or anticipate costs related to resettling those refugees in FY 2024 – FY 2025.

Assistance can include paying for rent and housing needs, transportation, health care, food, employment barrier-removal, clothing, and other essential items or services that the applicant deems necessary to help stabilize refugees.

These grants will be prioritized to applicants who will be providing services in areas with high numbers of Ukraine, Afghan, and other recent refugees and emergency arrivals to the state.